When Darkness Falls

Chapter 7: NIGHT OF DEATH

Chapter 7: NIGHT OF DEATH
Rashaka stood glowering at Krothganbier as he explained his failure to him.
“The girl called upon the power of the elves to protect her…there was nothing I could do, my Lord.”
“You have no excuse”, Rashaka spit at him angrily.  “She has escaped you not once but twice and now because of your foolish actions, the Elves of the East have received the cry for aid from that of the West!  We no longer have the ally of secrecy and there will be full out war!”  Kroth stood there, not making any movement, not showing any emotion at all.  To any other, he would have swiftly silenced them as soon as they had begun the chastisement but Krothganbier knew better than to attempt any foolishness with Rashaka.  He did not respect him or follow him for leadership.  He respected his power, power greater than his own.  All others below him were worthless scum that did not deserve to live.
“What would you have me do?”
“I would have you capture the girl and bring her to me.  Dispatch four squads of Zorg to patrol the surrounding area of Bashinma.  Bring all captured to me”, he hissed at Kroth. 
“It will be so, my Lord”, Kroth answered in an even voice.  He turned and left the room.  As he headed to give the orders to the Zorg he thought about Arya.  His rage and frustration was not only do to not capturing her for Rashaka, but for something else that had just recently come to his attention, something he had not told Rashaka of.  It was something that could help him gain more power so that he would be in charge. There was also someone else involved in all this but, as of yet, he had failed to discover who it was.  This person had given Arya the responsibility of the powerful possession for reasons unknown to Kroth.  But he planned to find out…and get the egg.
Tonight he would pay a visit to the King.  He might learn something useful and if not, well, the Kings chances weren’t to high.
                                                         
King Ciptian lay down on his bed happy and content with the evening’s Seastax.  His assistant put out the candles and asked him if he needed anything.
“No, I’m fine.  You may leave now.”  The assistant bowed and left the room.
The king leaned back and closed his eyes exhausted from his busy day.  He had just fallen asleep when, moments later, he was jerked awake by a short yell outside his bedroom door.  Ciptian sat up and started to get out of bed when the doorknob turned.  He reached under his pillow to pull out a short dagger and went to the darkest corner of the room very quickly. 
The door opened and a shadow darker than a pitless hole in the universe stepped through.  The king felt a cold horror sweep through him as if he had just plunged into a lake of ice.  He was shaking, barely holding onto the dagger.  The creature headed toward his bed, pulling a bloody sword out of its scabbard as it went.
King Ciptian looked around, trying to keep a hold on himself and his eyes settled on the servants side door, made to look as part of the wall.  He edged toward it, willing himself not to make a sound, to blend in.
The creature got to the bed and started looking around, having seen the king was no longer there.  He turned toward the window on the other side of the room; all the while the king steadily crept on.
The king got to the door and started slowly easing it open.  The door was almost open far enough to where he could slip through when it creaked.  He froze.  The creature screeched and looked directly at him. King Ciptian couldn’t move.  The fear was holding him in place.  The creature started toward him.
Suddenly, the sense of reality came back to Ciptian and he dove for the door.  With a shriek, the creature chased after him, quicker than the arrow.  The king crashed down the hallway sensing the beast getting closer, imagining cold hands wrapping around his neck.
The servants’ hall led to the kitchen and the kitchen to the Winding Stair.  Ciptian ran through the kitchen put the dagger between his teeth and flipped over the table landing on all fours almost catlike looking behind him for his pursuer.  It entered the kitchen like a plague, spreading the darkness that enveloped it so thoroughly. 
Ciptian straightened and dashed for the stairs hoping to escape the vile beast in the maze of tunnels leading into the mountain at the very top of, and rarely used part of, the stairs.
He went three steps at a time and he heard the pots and pans crashing off the walls as the creature pursued him.  As he went along, he saw hallways leading off the stairs to other parts of the castle and the further he went the more prosperous they became.
The king was no longer as young as he used to be and was beginning to tire.  He wondered if the creature pursuing him ever tired or if it was driven beyond that and pure hatred was the key to its success.  Trying not to think of such things, he concentrated on running.  He could here the creature closing the gap behind him and he knew it would not be long before he was in its clutches. 
After about half an hour of running up the stairs, the corridors started to become less and less common.  After a while, there weren’t any at all.  To the king, this was a good sign.   The mountain tunnels cannot be far.  But can I hold out that long…?
                                                         
Arya and Ma crept through the alleys of Bashinma, careful to stay to the shadows so they would not be seen.  With Ma in front, Arya followed, wondering how well they would be able to see the river and who they would see. She also couldn’t help but wonder what the punishment would be if they were caught sneaking to a river where an archery ambush lay in wait.  She shuddered wondering if the archers would shot them if they were caught thinking they were the enemies.
Ma stopped at a corner and held up a hand.  Arya stopped, waiting for her command.
“The road ahead of me is guarded by the night watch.  In order to get to the river, we need to go through the night watch.”  Arya started to object but Ma held up her hand.  “Would you like to find out what’s going on or not?  As I was saying, we need to go through the night watch when they change shifts in about…” Ma looked up to the moon calculating, “Five minutes.  While they are switching, we will run up between those two trees,” she pointed ahead of them, “and wait for them to turn around.  When they do we run along the wall until we get to the hedges around the Garden of Life and there will be a hole in the wall right under the hedge.”  She stopped and took a breath, flushed with excitement.  “So.  What do you think?”
Arya was trying very hard not to laugh.  “I think you’ve done this on more than one occasion.”
“Well,” Ma said smiling.  “Maybe once or twice.”
They waited the next few minutes in silence, watching the guards as the minutes ticked by.  Arya could barely stand to sit still a moment longer.  She was excited and anxious to see whom it was who contacted her.  Finally, the guard started to walk forward.
“This is it,” Ma whispered to Arya.  She gripped her hand and hurriedly dashed forward to the trees, pulling Arya along behind her.  Their breath was heavy with excitement as they watched the guards switch places and turn around.  “Follow me.”
Together, they ran to the wall and ran along it, one behind the other.  After about 200 meters, they arrived at the hedges.  They stopped to take a breath and looked around.  Arya looked to the gardens.  There was a hole in the hedge where she could look through. They took her breath away. 
She had never seen anything more beautiful in her life.  It was full of blues and purples and reds and yellows.  Everything was so neatly and well kept it looked to Arya as if she had stepped into a dream.  Everything was teeming with life and sparkling with a light dew.  A hand was placed on her shoulder and dreamland abruptly ended.
“We better get going.  I’ll go first to make sure the coast is clear.”  Ma got down on her hands and knees, with exceptional agility for a woman her age, and crawled under the hedge. 
Arya waited a few minutes but Ma did not come back through.  She began to get a little anxious, thinking one of the guards might spot her or that something bad had happened to Ma.  She stepped from foot to foot, waiting in anticipation for Ma’s return, for something to come out of that hedge…but nothing came.
Making up her mind, Arya pulled her knife out of her boot, put it between her teeth and crawled under the hedge.
                                                     
Ma cautiously crawled under the bush, searching the wall with remembered movements for the hole that led to so many childhood memories…good and bad.  She found the hole and slowly peeked her head through looking for signs of danger.  Seeing nothing, she warily inched her way forward, knowing that secrecy was the key to their success.
When she was finally all of the way out, she stood up, slinking through the shadows, elven grace so clear in her liquid movements.  She crept nearer and nearer to the river, all the time staying clear of the moon’s revealing rays.
The wind unexpectedly changed directions, now blowing toward Ma with the scent of warm bodies ahead of her.  She started to draw back to where she had left Arya to inform her all was clear when a mighty shout rose through the air.  She turned around in horror to see arrows flying toward the river and boomerangs toward the forest.  Men were falling from the trees, screaming in agony, at an alarming rate.  Ma turned to flee when she felt the harsh cold of metal penetrating into her aged body.  She fell and saw no more.
                                                     
Kyron tenderly got up from his hideaway in the bushes, careful not to stir Wimble.  He could hear the distant cries of the Night Watch as the nightriders slaughtered them mercilessly.  Those cries of pain and suffering brought back the memories.  The horrible memories of his childhood.  They reminded him of that night of terror, so prominent in his mind.
He wished to aid them so that they might have the chance to live. It is my fault that they suffer so.  I brought them to this with my foolishness.  I have brought death among these people needlessly in leading these nightriders to their doorstep.  I cannot live knowing that I became murderer to save myself.  Alas!  Why is my life so difficult? What have I done to deserve such treatment?  Lord if I have gone wrong, please forgive me so that I may make things right. Kyron thought a moment and then made a decision. If there were another choice I would be glad to take it.
He reluctantly turned himself toward the woods looking sadly at the little creature lying hidden in the brush.  “Gawanoski moonchi.  Good bye, my friend.”
Taking up a hunting knife, left by Namro for an emergency, Kyron staggered into the woods grimacing at the thought of what awaited him. 
                                                     
Arya was suddenly hit with a wave of noise as she crawled through the wall.  Horrible screaming and the whistle of arrows and deadly boomerangs.  Her first thought was to turn around and crawl right back through the wall but she knew she couldn’t.  She shakily stood up, wondering where Ma had gone in all this chaos.  Surely she would have come back by now to warn her that they could not go through.
A whistling sound flew inches above her head.  She ducked and turned around to see a boomerang ricocheting off the wall.  To get out of the open, she ran toward a tree and jumped into it, climbing quickly so that she would not be seen.  She looked around searching for the actual fight but it appeared to be farther ahead out of sight.
Arya hesitated and then jumped to the next tree hoping to get close enough to see what was happening.  She leaped to tree after tree but the battle seemed to either be getting farther away or to be getting quieter.  With dread, she assumed it was the latter. 
Suddenly, the arrows started becoming more common, the shouts more frantic, and she distinctly heard the whinnying of horses.  She stopped to get a breath and looked down.  A scream of dismay filled her lungs as she looked down at the limp form of Ma.
She cared no longer if they saw her.  Let them take me!  Oh, Ma!  She jumped down from the tree and cradled her in her arms.  Arya leaned her head against Ma’s chest and felt the slow rise and fall of her shallow breaths.  She looked up with tear filled eyes.  I have got to get her out of here!
She stood up and scooped Ma into her arms.  The sounds of the battle started getting closer and she could see a fire starting to lick the braches of trees ahead.  She turned around and ran as fast as she could, holding Ma closely to her chest.  Then she ran into something with such force that she flew backwards, dropping Ma at the base of the thing she had hit. 
She heard a groan through the darkness and yelled.  “Who’s there?”  The leaves rustled and someone answered.
“One who is responsible for this trouble and proceeds to end it.”  It was a male, she decided, and he sounded rather put out.
“What do you mean, ‘responsible for this trouble’?  You couldn’t have possibly caused this happen.”  She paused for a moment and then said with suspicion, “Unless you are a traitor to Bashinma?”
The other hesitated.  “It would depend on who you asked.”
“But-"  An arrow whistled past Arya’s ear.
“This is no time to talk.  I must go and fix this mistake I have made.”  He grunted and stood up walking heavily past her.  Arya stuck out her hand and grabbed his leg.
“Who are you?”  The man looked down at Arya and she gasped.  “The man from the river.”
His eyes went wide with recognition.   Arya!  I contacted Arya?!   “Uh…yes.  You had better get out of here quickly.  The battle is getting closer.”
“Then why are you heading for it?”
“I told you, I’m trying to fix this big mess I made.”
“By getting yourself killed?”
“If that’s what it takes.”  She did not seem convinced.  He sighed in frustration.  “Listen.  I led them here, as you should know, so it is my fault that these innocent elves are dying at their mercy. It’s the only decent thing that I can do.”  The noises were coming closer and the fire was almost upon them.  “Go!  You must leave now!” With that he ran toward the flames and disappeared from sight.
Arya looked after him, questions racing through her mind but her senses came back when a fiery branch dropped between Ma and her.
“Ah!”  She bounded up and jumped over the branch, picked up Ma and was on her way.
                                                     
Namro ran along the riverbank, praying that he would be fast enough.  He soon found the road and raced toward the city gate.  Sweat flew from his face as the first moments of battle raced through his mind.
He came to a swift halt and threw himself at the gate.
“Open up!  It’s Namro!  Open the gates!  Send the Shadow Captain!  Commander Hanara! Anyone!”  The gates opened and the captain ran out.
He put his hands on the shoulders of the gasping Namro and asked, “What happened my boy?  What is it?  Speak quickly now!”
“The-they attacked”, he gasped, “a whole group of them-they ki-killed…everyone’s dy-we need reinforcements!”
“Who were they boy?”
Suddenly a cold chill ran through him and the memory of that first moment when the riders attacked played through his mind and he went into shock. “Riders…dark…death.”  He collapsed onto the ground sobbing. 
“You heard the boy!  Send the soldiers immediately!  Send for Commander Hanara!”  He said to the group of people that had gathered around him.  A boy quickly detached himself and ran back into the city.
“Someone get this boy inside.” He looked down at Namro.  “It’ll be all right.”  The man by the river was forgotten.
-End of Chapter 7-